Album Review: Zombiefication – Midnight Stench

I have no witty lead in or sarcastic remark because when you are writing about a band with the name of Zombiefication the writer is always going to take a back seat. This two piece featuring Mr. Jacko (who claims to have been expelled from hell) and Mr. Hitch (who claims to be the vomitor of souls) use the term “putrid” Death Metal in their press info. Putrid Death Metal aside the band creates atmosphere to me that centers around… you guessed it: Zombies.

The three tracks “Cryptic Broadcast,” “Sleepless Mutter,” and “Necrombulatory” all create a sound that I wrote down as “zombie rhythm.” Obviously that is quite hard to describe, but the simple rhythms of the songs made me think of the old zombie movies where the undead creatures continued to march across the world with nothing to stop them.

For a debut album that used studio players to fill in the gaps I give the band a lot of credit for the slow paced “The Shining” and the track “The Early Years.” Both songs are similar with “The Shining” being a complete instrumental track and “Early Years” having vocals. There is some intricate work on these songs that will force the band to find talented players if they intend to leave their home in Mexico and take Zombie-palooza out on the road.

A great quote in the press jacket is “only death is real.” It’s great because it could be debated all night if that is their belief system or is this just one big gag on the public. To answer that debate you only need to listen to “Anthem to a Death Match” and “Broken Gravestone.” These two songs are very thrash based and have pounding drums over in your face vocals. I’m not totally sure about the whole zombie thing these guys are pulling off, but if you’re into the horror of the issue, you will appreciate these tracks.

More after the warp:

A massive trend in South American/Latin Metal of late has been the use of industrial elements. Zombiefication continues that trend on “Last Resting Place” and “Jacko’s Funeral Pyre.” Although not in the forefront of the songs you certainly get the industrial feeling from the guitar work. As I stated before the band did use studio players so I’m not 100% positive on who contributed what, but whoever can take credit on these tracks should be proud.

My personal favorite was “Hitchcock Screaming in Phobia.” Musically it’s the best blending off all the instruments and vocals on “Midnight Stench.” The real reason I liked it best is because it created a sort of apex for the album. I don’t feel Midnight Stench is a concept album, but when zombies come into play I have certainly images from old horror flicks. While running those through my head I was amazed that this track was the scene where the zombies have broken through all the defenses in the house and the mortals have given up.

I will be very up-front when I say this isn’t an album that is going to set the world on fire, but it is a fun listen if you let it be. www.chaos-records.com is producing the album on vinyl in limited quantities, so if this is something you feel you need to have, head over there and order your copy.